Putin sympathetic to Obama's APEC no-show decision

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — Russian leader Vladimir Putin says President Barack Obama's decision to skip a regional summit in Indonesia is "justified" as he tries to end a government shutdown that could rock the world's top economy.

Putin told a CEO conference Monday on the summit's sidelines, "If I were him I would not have come as well. Any leader of a state would have done the same."

For Obama, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting has become a missed opportunity to underline renewed U.S. attention to Asia as a counterbalance to China's increased economic and military clout. The budget impasse forced Obama to stay home.

Putin, who is often at odds with Obama on foreign policy and other issues, says he hopes the U.S. "will recover from this crisis asap."